all-region player | DVD player | United States | the Oscars

DVDs are not universal:There are six regions for DVDs around the world, mainly to combat piracy. So, unless you own an all-region player (which retail for as little as $80) or know how to hack your DVD player to convert it to all-region, be careful if a DVD is not listed as Region 0 (all players) or Region 1 (United States). Your PC, on the other hand, should be able to play discs from any country, assuming it plays DVDs at all. It's a general rule of thumb that if a country sells domestic titles in its original language, you probably won't easily find them at home. Granted, many Spanishlanguage titles have recently made their way to the States, as have foreign-film winners and candidates for the Oscars, but there is a world of viewing in other countries that's not available here. Once again, a quick online search can help you determine availability.

Vinyl lives on:Yes, LPs are alive and well, and you can find them everywhere. The chance to track down overseas releases with different covers, track order, and even different songs makes it fun to hunt for vinyl. But remember, records are much heavier and more fragile to pack, so either choose judiciously or, if money is no object, think about sending some home with an international shipper (e.g., FedEx, UPS). It won't be cheap, but it will be worth it when your precious vinyls arrive in one piece.